brace

American  

[breys] / breɪs /

noun

1. something that holds parts together or in place, as a clasp or clamp.

   Synonyms:

   vise

2. anything that imparts rigidity or steadiness.

3. Building Trades. a piece of timber, metal, etc., for supporting or positioning another piece or portion of a framework.

   Synonyms:

   strut, prop, stay

4. Orthodontics. Usually braces an appliance made of metal or plastic, worn on the surface of the teeth to straighten them through gradual pressure: The patient needed a brace only on the upper teeth.

   I wore braces for several years.

   The patient needed a brace only on the upper teeth.

5. Medicine/Medical. an appliance or compression sleeve for supporting a weak joint or joints.

6. Printing. curly bracket.

7. Music. connected staves one below the other, such as for different voices or instruments, or for left and right hand in keyboard music.

8. Chiefly British. braces suspenders.

9. a pair; couple.

   The hunter had a brace of hounds at his side.

10. Also called bitbrace, bitstock.  Machinery. a device for holding and turning a bit for boring or drilling.

11. Music. leather loops sliding upon the tightening cords of a drum to change their tension and the drum's pitch.

12. Nautical. (on a square-rigged ship) a rope by which a yard is swung about and secured horizontally.

13. a protective band covering the wrist or lower part of the arm, especially one worn in archery to protect the bow hand from the snap of the bowstring.

14. Military. a position of attention with exaggeratedly stiff posture.

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verb (used with object)

braced, bracing

1. to furnish, fasten, or strengthen with or as if with a brace.

   Synonyms:

   prop, fortify, support

2. to fix firmly; make steady; secure against pressure or impact.

   He braces himself when the ship rolls. Brace yourself for some bad news.

3. to make tight; increase the tension of.

   Synonyms:

   tense, tauten

4. to act as a stimulant to.

   Synonyms:

   fortify

5. Nautical. to swing or turn around (the yards of a ship) by means of the braces.

6. Military. to order (a subordinate) to assume and maintain a position of attention with exaggeratedly stiff posture.

verb (used without object)

braced, bracing

1. Military. to assume a position of attention with exaggeratedly stiff posture.

verb phrase

1. brace in to brace (the yards of a square-rigged vessel) more nearly athwartships, as for running free.

idioms

1. brace up, to summon up one's courage; become resolute.

   She choked back her tears and braced up.

brace British  

/ breɪs /

noun

1. In full: hand brace.  a hand tool for drilling holes, with a socket to hold the drill at one end and a cranked handle by which the tool can be turned See also brace and bit

2. something that steadies, binds, or holds up another thing

3. a structural member, such as a beam or prop, used to stiffen a framework

4. a sliding loop, usually of leather, attached to the cords of a drum: used to change its tension

5. a pair; two, esp of game birds

   a brace of partridges

6. either of a pair of characters, { }, used for connecting lines of printing or writing or as a third sign of aggregation in complex mathematical or logical expressions that already contain parentheses and square brackets

7. Also called: accolade.  a line or bracket connecting two or more staves of music

8. (often plural) an appliance of metal bands and wires that can be tightened to maintain steady pressure on the teeth for correcting uneven alignment

9. med any of various appliances for supporting the trunk, a limb, or teeth

10. another word for bracer 2

11. (in square-rigged sailing ships) a rope that controls the movement of a yard and thus the position of a sail

12. See braces

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verb

1. to provide, strengthen, or fit with a brace

2. to steady or prepare (oneself or something) as before an impact

3. (also intr) to stimulate; freshen; invigorate

   sea air is bracing

4. to control the horizontal movement of (the yards of a square-rigged sailing ship)

Related Words

See pair.

Other Word Forms

• overbrace verb (used with object)
• rebrace verb (used with object)
• underbrace noun
• well-braced adjective

Etymology

Origin of brace

First recorded in 1300–50; (for the noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French: “pair of arms,” from Latin brā(c)chia plural (taken as feminine singular) of brā(c)chium “arm” (from Greek; brachium ); (for the verb) in part Middle English bracen (from Anglo-French bracier, derivative of brace; embrace ¹ ), in part derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

Both Lau and Gao, while bracing for a tumultuous year, remind us that 1966 was also a breakthrough year for music and creativity.

From Los Angeles Times

Jakobs said the firm was bracing for the first full year of tariffs in 2026, saying: "We see more tariffs hitting us from a cost perspective."

From Barron's

The Pentagon has warned defense contractors to brace for sweeping performance reviews that will identify companies it says aren’t fulfilling their contracts, according to a message sent to the industry late last week.

From The Wall Street Journal

Local Greens lawmaker Abigail Boyd told local broadcaster ABC she had been hurt by police at the march and posted a selfie to social media wearing a neck brace.

From Barron's

He braced his back against a pole and was about to try to kick the windshield out, when something dark and very big swam past outside.

From Literature

Related Words

• fortify
• gird
• prepare
• ready